1. Field
This disclosure relates generally to memory systems, and more specifically, to a method of operating an emulated electrically erasable (EEE) memory.
2. Related Art
Emulated electrically erasable (EEE) memories typically use a random access memory and a non-volatile memory that is electrically erasable combined to provide a memory system that has increased endurance over a regular non-volatile memory for a comparable size to that of the random access memory. This is achieved using a non-volatile memory much larger than the random access memory but EEE memory operates as if it were only the size of the random access memory. Thus the EEE memory emulates an electrically erasable memory of a reduced size from that which is used by the EEE memory but with an increase in endurance. This is useful in situations in which endurance is very important such as automotive and industrial applications in which data is updated often and must be stored in a non-volatile manner.
The cost of increased endurance is thus to increase the memory size of the non-volatile memory, which makes the device more expensive. Thus there is a continuing need to achieve effective endurance while avoiding further increasing costs due to increasing memory size.